


a king's duty

by sureimiku



Category: Tales of Xillia
Genre: Character Study, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:53:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26270701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sureimiku/pseuds/sureimiku
Summary: The word rest doesn't seem to exist in the king's dictionary.{day 3 of xillia week; kijara seafalls/rest)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 10
Collections: Tales of Xillia Week





	a king's duty

**Author's Note:**

> I must admit this is my first time actually writing Gaius lol, I was wondering what to do with the rest prompt and then i remembered... the skit where he said he slept 3o minutes per day... *adds this to my list of xillia characters I think deserves a nap*

The word rest doesn’t seem to exist in the king’s dictionary. 

“What happened about you resting early for tomorrow’s ambush?” 

The sharp voice of Wingul woke up the king from his temporary dazed state, a pen still sitting in his hand. How many papers had he reviewed in the past hour...five? Twenty? When you were the king of an entire country, time had no meaning. “I was just going to finish up signing these papers over here.” Gaius deliberately placed his pen back in the inkwell, “I trust you have no problem with that?” 

“It is nearly past midnight. Everyone else has been long past asleep.” His eyes burned into Gaius’, which lacked any sign of emotion. 

Oh, so that was what this whole visit was about. Gaius had anticipated a sudden change of plans, or issue that arose within their stationed troops, but it was a mere warning to get some rest. 

“What explains you being awake, then?” The stack of papers was now neatly piled in the corner of the desk, the paper at the top still glistening with fresh ink. “I know when to head for bed and whatnot.” 

Wingul sighed, leaning against the door. “I am merely concerned for your own health, Gaius. You may do as you wish.” Those words cut through the room’s stuck-up nature, stuck-up in terms of being cooped inside of it all day shuffling through countless papers. 

Gaius had so many things to take care of. Tomorrow was the assault on Exodus. Papers regarding the other towns throughout the entirety of Auj Oule still had to be reviewed. So much to do, so little time. He would be lying if he told Wingul that his head started to throb, and his eyes felt like they were burning from excessive working.

He slept on his desk that night. 

* * *

“Your highness, if I may come in.” A gentle three knocks came at the door. 

“Rowen?” Gaius did not look up from his paperwork. The door opened to reveal the prime minister, as calm as ever. “Is something the matter?” The older man shook his head. “No, everything is fine. I just wanted to see that you were doing alright.” There it came again, everybody in the castle asking if _his highness_ had been doing okay, in terms of ruling duties. 

“Yes. I was just about to finish writing a letter to House Sharil. I still have to address the letters regarding Rieze Maxian and Elympion relations.” Gaius signed his name at the bottom of the paper before meeting eyes with Rowen. “Is that all you came for?” 

“Well, no… I wanted to ask if you prefer a certain kind of tea. I would like to see that some is delivered to you often, for the sake of your health.” 

“You would go as far as ensuring that I was well through the means of tea?” 

“The king needs to always be in top condition, does he not?” He certainly had a point there. Kanbalar _did_ have quite a selection of brews, as the capital of the country. Tea was an especially popular beverage not just for improving the mind, but for keeping warm as well. Maybe he could give this a shot. 

“What do you recommend, then?” Gaius shifted his body to fully face Rowen, temporarily breaking away from his work. There were no fights to be fought nor _people_ to be dealt with, meaning taking a break was finally a viable option. 

Rowen went on a tangent on what he thought he would enjoy; chamomile, lavender, black… at some point, Gaius wanted to ask whatever went well with chocolate and call it a day. 

In the end, he’d gone with green tea. Rowen assured it would pair well with whatever chocolate he wanted to have, and it would help him to concentrate more (to Gaius, all teas helped him concentrate, but apparently some had better effects than others. Who knew that the prime minister of Rieze Maxia had such a background with tea?). The king tried the tea out for a few days. Then weeks, and then months. 

He sat at his desk the same as usual, having just finished another cup of tea. The sky had turned dark, the soft glow of a candle illuminating the room. Being king _really_ meant not having free time or having time to leisure so carelessly. Gaius signed the bottom of yet another paper, placing it on the right side of the desk. It’s a simple process; read, sign, stack. Take the pen out of the inkwell, carefully read it with his own eyes; he was the only one reading the letters, after all. The process couldn’t really be called simple though, as his eyes started to give up and finally shut. 

Gaius slept on his desk again, but this time, he felt at ease. 


End file.
